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Happy birthday Gertie Ross and belated happy birthday Sade Watts and Veronica Smith from family, friends and Ira.

It probably wouldn’t work today, with all the ways we get our entertainment, but not so long ago, when television shows lived or died by Nielsen viewer ratings, the guys at the Lafayette water plant claimed they had a better way to find the favorites.
In the early 1970s, Jim Love, the superintendent, claimed they could put those sophisticated polling outfits right out of business. He was only half-joking.
He said they didn’t even need to turn on a television set, and wouldn’t think of bothering anyone with a telephone call. It was all on a round, revealing chart that tracked the flow of water through the city.
Changes in water pressure told when folks got up in the morning, when they did their washing, what kind of weather was outside — and, he said, what TV shows kept their interest most.
When I went to see for myself, Love and Charles Bajat, water production supervisor, explained that most people sat all the way through a good show, and when they’re doing that, they’re not using water.
But what happened when the show was over?
Ker-plooey!
The water pressure plummeted.
Looking at the chart, Bajat said, “you can almost see them walking to the bathroom,”
Poorer television fare didn’t hold the viewers, so they answered nature’s call at any time during the show. That spread the use of water. But during a really good show, everyone waited until the same time — the commercials and the end of the movie — and that’s when the pressure plunged.
A prime example was the night the dramatic movie “Airport” played on television. That day’s chart was smooth as a superhighway until the movie came on, because there was no great drain on the system. But just after the movie started the chart began to show squiggles — about the time less hardy viewers began to squirm.
“By 7:30 viewer interest had increased to a point where the television commercials show up as regularly spaced but radical drops in water pressure,” Love said. “At approximately 8:30 … a bomb exploded on the airplane … and from that time until 9 p.m., when the pilot landed the plane safely … almost nobody left their television set to do anything.”
He pointed to a chart that showed a squiggle at the first commercial, then a series of more pronounced squiggles, and then … a 26-psi drop!
That was a new, all-time record.
The 26 psi (pounds per square inch) drop topped — bottomed? — the 22-psi plunge registered at the end of “Patton” and bested “The Out of Towners,” and “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” — each of which registered a 19-psi drop — as the top television viewing of the year.
The men said drops at the end of good movies were actually bigger than those caused by firemen fighting big fires, which averaged about 10 psi. Hydrants tapped to fight a blaze drain from only one point in the system and the drain is over a longer period of time, but a “television drop,” they said, came abruptly from “thousands and thousands of homes.”
“You’ve got to remember,” Love explained, “that if 20,000 people flush 4 gallons of water at one time, that’s 80,000 gallons of water used in about a minute.”
The first color shows made the water plant gang aware of their rating abilities.
“Certain unexplainable drops in water pressure … began appearing on the charts at regular intervals in the early 1950s,” Bajat said. “We couldn’t figure out what they were, until someone noticed that they coincided with the ending of ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Walt Disney’ — the first two color shows on television. They were drawing, and holding, larger audiences.”
After that, it was easy.
“Back in the days of boxing matches on television,” Bajat said, “we could tell when each round ended.”
The water plant gang never compared their ratings to the regular television ratings, but claimed to have a better system. “We know we’ve got a larger sample,” they said.
The experts, of course, disagreed. I sent my story to TV Guide magazine, and the editors wrote back that the PSI Poll amounted to “nothing more than an old wives’ tale.”
But I don’t think many old wives ever saw an abrupt, 26-psi plunge on a water chart, or even had color television back then.
I did, and I was convinced.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Trees benefit a landscape by serving both aesthetic and utilitarian functions. A home surrounded by healthy green trees can be a sight to behold, and those same trees can benefit surrounding plants and wildlife at the same time.
As appealing as trees are, not all trees and landscapes make for the perfect match.
The Arbor Day Foundation notes the importance of planning when designing a landscape. Planning ensures the trees homeowners ultimately choose for their properties will grow well in the soil and moisture present in their yards.
Careful consideration of a handful of variables can help homeowners determine which trees will make the best fit for their properties.
—Height: Homeowners must consider the projected height of a tree before planting it. Avoid trees that will bump into anything when fully grown, as that can adversely affect surrounding greenery and pose a safety hazard.
The Arbor Day Foun-dation tree sizing guide can be accessed at www.arborday.org/trees/rightTreeAndPlace/size.cfm and serves as an invaluable resource for homeowners who want to plant new trees around their properties.
—Canopy spread: Trees grow out as well as up, so it’s important to consider their potential width at maturity as well. The Arbor Day Foundation sizing guide can help homeowners get an idea of how wide a tree is likely to be at maturity.
Trees that spread out quite a bit don’t necessarily need to be avoided, but it’s important that they’re planted far enough apart so they don’t adversely affect surrounding plants. In addition, wide trees that are planted too close together can make the landscape appear crowded, taking something away from its aesthetic appeal.
—Growth rate: Growth rate is an important variable because it can affect how quickly homeowners will see changes in their landscapes.
Homeowners who want to plant for privacy can consider trees with quick growth rates or purchase more mature trees that are already near full growth. Those who are not in need of instant transformation can try trees with slower growth rates, which the Arbor Day Foundation notes typically live longer than fast-growing species.
—Requirements: Diff-erent trees require different amounts of sun and moisture, and different soil components to thrive. Homeowners can have their soil tested to determine which trees will thrive in it. The LSU AgCenter can help with soil samples. The AgCenter and local garden centers can be a great resource for homeowners who want insight as to which trees will thrive in their local climates.
Trees serve many functions on a property. Choosing the right trees for a landscape requires careful consideration of a host of variables.

Kye Morgel, a three-time All-District performer for Central Catholic, will do his running for Louisiana Christian University's football team next year.

Morgel signed a letter of intent Tuesday to attend and play football for the Pineville school, formerly Louisiana College.

"I love the atmosphere and the students over there," Morgel said before the ceremony at the Central Catholic gym. "I love the campus."

Morgel plans to study sports medicine at Louisiana Christian, a subject about which his studies began regrettably early in 2021.

The running back missed about half of Central Catholic's season with an ankle injury while dealing with a knee injury as well.

Even so, he finished with 456 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, plus 12 receptions for 190 yards and two TDs.

"Kye was one of our seniors and and one of our vocal leaders," Central Catholic head coach C.L. Grogan said.

Morgel also played strong safety for Central Catholic and is a member of the highly ranked Eagle basketball team, too.

Louisiana Christian finished 4-7 in 2021, competing for the first time in the NAIA Sooner Athletic Conference. One Wildcat, D'Mario Weathersby from Clinton, was named to the All-Conference second team, and six teammates earned honorable mention on coach Drew Maddox' team.

Grogan said Morgel will probably see action on short-yardage and goal line plays, taking advantage of his hard-nosed rushing style. And Grogan believes Morgel will be able to see playing time right away.

Morgel, meanwhile, has been looking forward to playing on Saturdays for years.

"It's been a lifelong dream since I was like 5 years old," Morgel said.

He's the son of Reginald and Jessica Daniels of Morgan City.